"Father, I am your servant, willing and desiring
to be
used to
bless your
people."

The Fields are white and the laborers are
few!2. C.H. Spurgeon said, If God does not save a man by truth he certainly
will not save them by lies, and if the old gospel is not competent to work a
revival, then we will do without the revival;

OPEN: At one time, a man named
Upton Dickson began a club called: Dependent , Order, Of, Really, Meek, And,
Timid, Souls

When you take the first letter from each word, you have
the word "Doormats."Dickson founded the society after he wrote a pamphlet
called "Cower Power."The Doormats have an official insignia - a yellow
caution light. Their official motto is: "The meek shall inherit the earth,
if that's OK with everybody else!" APPLY: When Jesus said - "The Meek shall
inherit the earth" I'm pretty sure that's not the kind organization He had in
mind. But when most people think someone is "meek" that is pretty much what they
envision:* Doormats* Prey for bullies* Quiet, unassuming, and easily
pushed around kind of folks.

Which leads people to confuse the two, Is he Meek or is he
Weak

When I think of Weakness in biblical terms, I think of
King Saul and all his Anger towards David. I think of Samson in all of his Great
strength how he let a weakness gouge his eyes out.I think of Faithful Lot being seduced
into a city of perversion, Even Peter cussing around the campfire. Demas with
cares of the world and to many others to mention!

ILLUS: This is illustrated in the life of the famous
author Mark Twain. Church leaders were largely to blame for his becoming hostile
to the Bible and the Christian faith. As he grew up, he knew elders and deacons
who owned slaves and abused them.

He heard men using foul language and saw them practice
dishonesty during the week after speaking piously in church on Sunday. He
listened to ministers use the Bible to justify slavery. Although he saw genuine
love for the Lord Jesus in some people, including his mother and his wife, he
was so disturbed by the bad teaching and poor example of church leaders that he
became bitter toward the things of God.

Your weakness will destroy you if you allow it
opportunity.

Your Weakness Has an Agenda, A Plan to Take Over Your
Life and Sabotage It

Refusal to recognize weakness, guarantees your
destruction.

Your Weakness Will Bond You With Wrong
People.

Your Weakness Can Emerge At Any Time In Your
Life.

Your weakness is a like a living organism within you. It
is a force, silent and deadly, that moves your life toward
destruction.

Things that begin small can become huge.

God holds His people responsible because we are in a position where we can either
draw people toward Christ or drive them away from Him.

In the
Bible tells we're told about two individuals who were described as being
meek.The first is described in Numbers 12:3". Moses was very meek, above
all the men which were upon the face of the earth." KJV

Now Moses is not
someone I generally think of as being a "doormat".When I think of Moses - I
think of Charlton Heston coming down off the Mountain of God carrying the 10
commandments. When he heard the people partying in the camp below he became
overwhelmed with righteous anger and took those tablets of stone and broke them
to pieces. Then he went down into the camp and ground the golden calf they'd
been worshipping into dust and mixed it in the drinking water of the camp and
commanded: "DRINK!"No. Moses isn't someone I'd ordinarily visualize as being
meek. I picture him more as someone you wouldn't want to "mess around
with"

Then there's Jesus.Jesus spoke of Himself saying "Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.." Mt 11:29
KJVDespite the tendency of Hollywood to paint Jesus as some kind of
effeminate individual, I just can't see Jesus as a doormat. For the better part
of his life, He was a carpenter, used to working with saws and hammers for hours
and forming wood to his liking. He was a powerful speaker who commanded the
attention of 1000s of peopleAnd when He walked into the Temple and found the
moneychangers turning God's House into marketplace, He reached down and took
some cords, knotted them into a whip - and then He cleaned house.That's not
the kind of behavior I'd attribute to
someone who is Meek.

But Moses was meekAnd Jesus was meekSo,
maybe my idea of what meekness is different than Scripture's!

One man
observed that the Greek term for meek is extremely colorful.

It was used several ways in biblical literature, one of
which describes"a wild stallion
that has been tamed, brought under control" I like that!That leads me to
believe that meekness is when you take something powerful (like a stallion) and
you tame it. You bring it under control of something or someone.

Biblically, a meek person
is someone who under the control of God. They may have powerful
emotions, but those emotions have
been tamed and brought under control of God's will. Like a wild Stallion, the
power is still there, but it's held in check by God's
power.

Now That's meekness. Intensity, power, excitement all in the
mind and heart of someone who has allowed themselves to be brought under the
control of a powerful and loving God. This kind of meekness is very
important to God. That's why in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said: "Blessed are the meek for they shall
inherit the Earth"

There are several men and women throughout
Scripture that exhibit this kind of "meekness" (emotions held in control by a powerful
God), but the one we're looking at today is Joseph.Joseph was a man
who allowed his emotions and his passions to be under God's control.

We
see it several times in his story in Genesis1. We see him as a young man of
17 to whom God gives a vision of greatness. He wanted to share this experience
with his family. but they rejected his dreams, they belittled his vision for the
future. And his brothers turn on him in hatred. But in spite of that
rejection - Joseph trusts in God, and
waits on His timing

2. And then we see him as a slave in Egypt.
Though he's lost everyone and everything he once considered important, there was an intensity about him, a
refusal to surrender, Here is where a Weak person
loses Focus! Joseph held on to a power born of his faith in his
God. And as a result - God worked in his life and he became successful in all he
did.

3. Then we see him as a prisoner, unjustly accused and
imprisoned, left to die in a dungeon where very few ever saw the light of day
again. And yet,
there is a refusal to give up. A purposefulness in his
actions and his behavior. A power born of his faith in his God. And once again - God worked in his life and
he became successful in all he did.

4. And lastly, in Genesis 40, we find that he interprets
the dreams of 2 of Pharaoh's officials and he makes one of them promise - he'll
remember him when he gets out of prison. But that official forgets him and
Joseph stays behind prison walls for another 2 years. Well that's certainly not
fair! How does Joseph respond to
this? He's unbowed. He's unbroken. He
absolutely refuses to surrender. He lives his life for God. And he waits in
faith for his God to deliver him.

Therefore we must conclude Joseph
is a meek man.He's a man who has his passions under control.He doesn't allow his anger to get the best
of him.He doesn't allow his emotions to rule his life.He is a man who is under the leadership and
control of his God.He's a meek man.

And what does Jesus
say God will do for the meek? (They'll inherit the earth)When a person is
under the control of God, God ultimately always gives him what he needs.

A little
later on in His sermon on the Mt, Jesus said much the same thing in a different
way "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things
shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33That's how Joseph lived his life.
He sought God's will and God's
righteousness in his life.

Now he stands before Pharaoh himself.
He's given the opportunity to interpret dreams no other prophet or priest
could understand.Here's his chance to give his resume to the most powerful
man on earth. Here's his opportunity to shine HIS OWN light and to too his
own horn.Here's his chance to show how much HE KNOWS.Pharaoh asks him if
he can interpret his dream for him and Joseph could have said "Why sure I
can do that. just you watch"But Is
that what Joseph said?No, Joseph said "I cannot do it." Whoa! Wait a
minute Joseph - you're losing your opportunity here!You need to brag about
yourself and tell Pharaoh how good you are!But Joseph is a meek man.- he
doesn't do things like that.It isn't
ABOUT HIM. it's about his God.Joseph isn't seeking his own glory, he's
seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness. Joseph isn't there
to get glory. he's there to serve his God.So he says I cannot do
it but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."Genesis 41:16I can't do this (he says) but God
can!

So what happens when Joseph seeks God's kingdom and His
righteousness?Why - everything Joseph could possibly want is given to
him.He becomes meek in the presence of the most powerful earthly ruler of
the day and (by the leading of God) Joseph literally
"inherits the earth."

Look With Me at Genesis 41:39-44Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no
one so discerning and wise as you.You shall be in charge of my palace, and
all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will
I be greater than you."So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in
charge of the whole land of Egypt."Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his
finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and
put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his
second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!"Thus he put him in
charge of the whole land of Egypt.Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but
without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt."

The key is this: Always be ready to be used by God in
meekness, That's the real key to being honored by God and receiving the
blessings He wants to give you and I.

Joseph was ALWAYS ready to be used by God.He was
ready to be God's man when he was a slaveHe was ready to be God's man when
he was a prisonerAND he was ready to be God's man when he stood before
Pharaoh.In his meekness, Joseph was always ready to be used by God.

Always prepare your mind to be His servant in every and
any situation you find yourself in. Always Allow yourself in meekness to be
under the control and guidance of the God who says He loves you.

And One
person described it this way:If people had the attitude (that they might be
used by God at any and every moment) they would wake up to each morning with an
excitement: "God's going to use me today"

A couple of years ago, Denzel
Washington was interviewed by a major magazine and one of the questions was
this: "How do you deal with fame?"And he replied: "It ain't about me.
The most Important thing for me, is
understanding how I understand God,that's what keeps me humble.

When we allow God to use us.When we become meek
to the point where it's all about Him and His control of our lives.Then God
can give us "the earth". He can add all these things to our lives.That's
because a meek person works for God - and when they work for God - God promotes them.
just like he did Joseph.

CLOSE: A man once told of the time he ducked
into a busy restaurant for lunch. He just got sat down when a waiter rushed by
with a tray filled with dirty dishes. He told the story this way:He saw me
and said "I'll be right with you." He came back and said, "This isn't my
section, but I don't want to keep you waiting." He took my order, which
included a Diet Coke. "We don't carry that, sir," he said.So I told him that
a glass of water would be just fine.Minutes later he appeared with my food,
then rushed back to his section.He showed up again with a surprise. An
ice-cold bottle of Diet Coke!"Where did this come from?" I
asked."There's grocery store around the corner," he told me.As you can
imagine, this became the man's favorite restaurant, but at one point he was
unable to get back there for a couple of months. When he returned he asked for
his favorite server. "He doesn't wait tables anymore," he was told. " "They
promoted him to management."In the same way, when we serve God in humility and
meekness - seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness then He can lift us
up and give us the desires of our hearts. But first we must be found faithful in
meekness.